The first shopping agent made its appearance in 1995. It was introduced as an experiment. The project was published on the internet without any promotion to the e-commerce industry. It was created by BargainFinder, a team led by researcher Bruce Krulwich. More commercial models soon followed. A group called Netbot created the Jango shopping agent. Junglee was a start up based out of the Bay Area. It was later taken over by Amazon.com. Many other shopping agents made there debut such as Killerapp.com, Pricewatch.com and Nextag.
What Is a Shopping Search Engine?
The shopping search engine, or comparison search engine is an internet search tool which evaluates the prices of merchandise that is similar to one another. It then recommends links to the users. These websites do not offer any products themselves. They receive a cut of the profits due to their recommendations. Shopping search engines use data based on the user's previous related searches.
Shoppers benefit greatly from the convenience of this process because it it cuts down on the time spent to make a great deal. Merchants upload their catalogs to shopping search engines in order to reach the largest consumer base possible. They accomplish this by finding portals that are catering to their specific niche. Many of these search engines are free of charge to merchants. However, some with large followings charge a fee.
Benefits Of Using A Shopping Search Engine
Search engines increase the level of variety for any type of consumer information. A basic search renders limitless results. It is easy for the consumer to pinpoint a specific item by refining their search using the appropriate keywords. Search engines are built into specific websites that allow the user to search the available items within that site. This prevents them from having to navigate through unneeded information. The ability to compare prices of products presented by many different merchants is unique to online shopping search engines.
Most Popular Shopping Search Engines To Help You Save Money
There are many different shopping search engines on the internet to choose from. Here is a list of some known destinations that are convenient and save the users money.
Google Shopping
- Google Shopping It is no surprise that Google Shopping is the best known shopping engine. The products are displayed in Google's standard search results. They are also integrated into the pay-per-click platform known as Adwords.
Nextag
- Nextag Nextag began its operations in 1999. The site has up to 30 million visitors every month. It is a consistent performer among the top shopping engines in terms of conversions on CSE strategy. Nextag has a versatile platform that allows the listing of products such as real estate, travel bookings and event tickets.
PriceGrabber
- PriceGrabber PriceGrabber has its own marketing research tool. It allows merchants to track purchases and product pricing trends in order to best market their merchandise. Listing on PriceGrabber also means that you will be listed on Yahoo Shopping.
Shopping.com
- Shopping.com Shopping.com falls under the eBay umbrella of companies. This makes it is a great avenue for merchants to market and get sales. Shopping.com is also affiliated with The Find.
Shopzilla
- Shopzilla This site pulls in about 40 million visitors per month. Its operation date back to 1996. Shopzilla is highly recommended for anyone starting out in E-commerce. There are over 100 million products listed on this particular website.
Become
- Become Become is a leader in CSE space. Shoppers looking for a deal can compare prices and study reviews about the items they wish to purchase.
Bing Shopping
- Bing Shopping Bing has a free product listing option. The products appear on Bing search page results. Customers have given the search engine high reviews for providing user-friendly information. It is hard for merchants to join being during high-traffic shopping seasons. New merchants are best advised to plan ahead.
Pronto
- Pronto Pronto has around 70 million products listed on the site. It is a competitive option for online consumers.
The Find
- The Find The Find is noted for helping new shoppers personalize their search results.
Amazon Product Ads
- Amazon Product Ads Amazon works in a similar fashion to other shopping engines without actually being one itself. Merchants manually upload product which become ads, then set their budget. Amazon software creates the ad automatically based on the information provided.